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If 2016 taught me anything, it is how disastrous political polls have become. And as we head into the 2018 midterms, we should take a hard look how we are conducting them, crunching the numbers and using the results. Voters deserve it. On November 2nd, 2016 Marquette University Law School in Wisconsin issued it’s highly regarded presidential polling results. It was memorable for two reasons. The first reason is that it was conducted between October 26th through the 31st, the time frame in which

It's no secret the State of California is tearing at its political seams, careening towards a tipping point with the Sanctuary City battle leading the way. TWO of the states THREE largest counties, both in Southern California, have now voted to oppose SB-54, the bill that limits law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. San Diego and Orange counties represent more than 6 million people. Los Angeles County, which hasn't weighed in on the subject, represents some 9 millio

Every parent wants a healthy child, right? Too often, though, people neglect to consider just how much the events of childhood can leave a lasting impact on a child. For example, we have only very recently started to understand just how much mental illness is impacting the current younger generations, and recent conversations in the gun control debates have drawn new attention to the high number of young people living with mental health issues. New laws are being designed to give young people

A bill in the Pennsylvania House to create an independent citizens' redistricting commission was rewritten to give the legislature even more control over the legislative redistricting process. Don't worry. I did a double take the first time I heard about this story too. According to Republican State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, Pennsylvanians should trust that he and his colleagues are the most accountable to voters to redraw districts in a way that provides the best and most accurate representation.

The consequences of party-dominated elections; of closed party primaries, gerrymandered districts, and major party control of the ballot, of the media and of the debates, in addition to the partisan dominance of the very ways in which issues are framed and discussed -- the consequences of all this is to block the full and open participation of the American people in shaping the country in which we live. The habit of secret political bargains between elites started early in America. For example,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRqyYokJ97c Video Source: CBS News The Supreme Court turned down a request by Republican state lawmakers Monday to prevent Pennsylvania’s new congressional map from being used. The decision further upholds the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling in January that the former congressional map was unconstitutional and constituted a partisan gerrymander. The court also ordered the state legislature to redraw the map by February 9 -- which it managed to do in the ele

Americans have to admit that our democracy -- the great experiment -- is dead. Our government does not look or function as our Founding Fathers intended. In fact, it has failed in the fundamental purpose it was founded for -- to respond to the will of the people. As a nation, we have found ways to subvert the will of the people by reversing how the voting process works. The use of gerrymandering has allowed those that run for office to select who will vote for them. Partisan gerrymandering has

For me, history, the study of it and the making of it, has been an essential part of life. Growing up in the underground of the poor black community, reading became my salvation, and reading about great historical developments, as well as hearing the soul stirring voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the radio, was my inspiration. I remember the first black history class I took in college and the professor asking the students why they had chosen the course, I said I wanted to understand why

Gerrymandering might be the issue of our time. You know that sinking feeling you get after every single election where you just can’t understand how one party won so many seats? Gerrymandering is responsible for this phenomenon, which you might as well refer to as “artificial majorities.” Both major parties engage in gerrymandering when it’s their turn at bat. The interested parties in Pennsylvania’s gerrymandering case knew the stakes were high — they finally had a shot at tilting the balance

I am a physician and a black woman who grew up poor and came of age in the 1970’s. I‘ve spent 25 years practicing medicine, mainly in Harlem, and I care deeply about the state of our country, about the state of black America, and about the state of our democracy. I am also a political independent and reform activist who has worked for years to help generate conversations about our dysfunctional and divisive political system and the overwhelming social crisis that results from it. These can be